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AZ reporter reveals White House press briefings staged

By Jack Minor –

It has become a modern staple of American life, the White House daily press briefing where people see the various reporters present attempt to raise their hand in an attempt to be called upon to ask a question. However, a shocking report by a CBS reporter from Arizona reveals that under the Obama administration the entire event is staged and that President Obama’s press secretary Jay Carney gets the questions in advance and in a tit for tat, frequently already has given the answers to the questions before the briefing even begins.

The revelation came from a CBS reporter from Arizona who explained that while attending an off the record meeting with Carney he explained the process of how he prepares for each day’s briefing to make sure he is prepared for whatever questions may come up.

“It was a very busy day. We started here shortly after 8 o’clock with a coffee with press secretary Jay Carney inside his office in the West Wing,” says the reporter.

“And this was the off-the-record so we were able to ask him all about some of the preparation that he does on a regular basis for talking to the press in his daily press briefings. He showed us a very long list of items that he has to be well versed on every single day.

“And then he also mentioned that a lot of times, unless it’s something breaking, the questions that the reporters actually ask — the correspondents — they are provided to him in advance. So then he knows what he’s going to be answering and sometimes those correspondents and reporters also have those answers printed in front of them, because of course it helps when they’re producing their reports for later on. So that was very interesting.”

The reporter, who interviewed the president yesterday also revealed exactly how tightly this administration controls media access to the president compared to previous administrations.

She explained the president and his team employ three methods to ensure reporters do not deviate from the four minute deadline the president allows them.

The methods involve a countdown clock, an administration aide looming over the interview and a requirement that it be conducted while standing up.

“We immediately launched into our interview because there was a person standing behind him actually counting down to the four minutes. And by the time he answered my last question, I realized that we had already gone over the four minutes, so that’s why I took an opportunity to sort of ask a lighter question afterward because I figured at that point, you know, why not? I have nothing to lose,” said the local reporter.

“But what was interesting–a side note–is the reason why we’re standing, I was told by one of his staffers, is because he likes to get comfortable when he’s sitting and he tends to get very chatty. And so this was another way to keep him–and us–at the four minutes that they were suggesting that we not go over.”

One local anchor out of Arizona said the requirements were “ridiculous.”

“It sounds like the pressure is on when some guy is standing behind him with a countdown clock. That’s a little ridiculous.”